Welcome to the Ullapool News

IMPORTANT NOTICE – ULLAPOOL NEWS – RETIREMENTS PENDING
Jo (Scott), Editor and Sheila (Didcock), Treasurer and Compositor, have taken the very difficult decision to step away from the Ullapool News. Both have been involved in the production of our paper for around 40 YEARS…!
So, we are looking for people to take on the following roles:

1. Editor: This involves approximately 18 hours per
week operating from the Ullapool News office a full day
on Tuesday and part of two days before that and it needs
to be someone who has a keen eye for detail.

2. Treasurer: Sheila our treasurer currently works
from home for approximately 12 hours per week.

3. Compositor: The compositor needs to be in the
Ullapool News office every Tuesday afternoon from 2pm
and also early Wednesday mornings to do the final
preparation before handing over to the printer.

No definite date for Jo and Sheila’s departure has been decided yet but we just wanted to get the ball rolling and see if there are any interested people who would like to take on the weekly production of our local paper. Please email notes of interest to: editorial@theullapoolnews.co.uk
Thank you. Ullapool News Team

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Our Commonwealth Bronze Medallist
Huge congratulations to Stephen Mackenzie, current British Champion who produced a phenomenal performance in the Commonwealth Games men’s long jump soaring to a jump of 8.08m. The leap not only secured him the bronze medal but secured him the native record, Scotland’s first ever Commonwealthmedal in the event!
We wish him all the very best as he prepares for the European Championships which will be held in Birmingham next week. Monday 10th August is the qualifying round and all being well finals Tuesday 11 August.
Good luck Stephen!
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A reminder that the Ullapool Angling Competition is going ahead on Sat 29 August

Please can all last year’s winners return the cups ASAP, to Janis Piggott at Quercus, or contact me via the Facebook page. And please register in advance as nobody will be able to take registration forms on the day, as we’ll be fishing too! Forms being sorted and will be available online or at the harbour watch room shortly. If anyone can host any kids’ activities on the day to take the strain off the kids angling on the harbour, it would be appreciated.

Noel query@macraemedia.com 

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Highland Liquor Co wins three-star Great Taste Awards

Robert Hicks and Helen Chalmers, co-owners of Ullapool’s Highland Liquor Co, discovered earlier this week that they had been awarded two Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Food: a three-star Great Taste Award for their Seven Crofts Fisherman’s Strength Gin, and a one-star Great Taste Award for their original Seven Crofts Gin.

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Saturday 25 July saw the opening of ‘Lorg na Còigich’, the stunning memorial land sculpture to a successful resistance to clearance in Coigach in 1852-3. It was a wonderful event attended by many of the local and wider community, and sponsors of the project.  Designed by the acclaimed Scottish artists Will Maclean and Marian Leaven, they closed the ceremony with a toast “Gu cuimhne nan gaisgich tìre” – “To the memory of the land heroes” The celebrations continued at the village hall with a delicious array of food and drink provided by the local community, followed by historical accounts, poetry, readings, dance and lastly music by acclaimed local musicians.

A truly memorable event.

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August Skies — Northwest Scotland Edition       Hello darkness my old friend!

August is the month when the night truly returns to the far north – all summer the closest thing we’ve had to nighttime is “astronomical twilight”. True nighttime (when the sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon) officially returns on 15 August in Ullapool – for a mere 5 minutes! But on the 16th, one day later, we get an hour and five minutes! So August is a month to enjoy the swift return of darkness and all that comes with it: skies filled with stars and the potential to admire the glowing arch of the Milky Way and beyond.

This year, however, August offers something even more remarkable. Within just over two weeks —

Partial Solar Eclipse — 12 August

One of the astronomical highlights of 2026 occurs on12 August, when a partial solar eclipse be visible across the UK. From Northwest Scotland, the Moon will cover 91% of the Sun’s disc, reaching maximum eclipse at approximately 7:00 pm. Although the Sun will never be completely hidden, the effect will be dramatic as the landscape takes on an unusual quality of light and the Sun becomes a brilliant crescent hanging above the western horizon.

A partial eclipse of this magnitude is an unforgettable sight—to observe safely, order yourself a pair of inexpensive certified solar-eclipse glasses. Ordinary sunglasses provide no protection and are not safe for solar viewing.

Peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower – 12-14 August
This year’s peak on the mornings of 12th , 13th & 14th of August, between midnight and 2am, will not be affected by moonlight as the moon is new on 12th. The brightest Perseids often leave glowing trails across the sky and remain well worth watching. Under the clear, dark skies of Northwest Scotland, patient observers should still enjoy an impressive celestial display after midnight.

Partial Lunar Eclipse — 28 August
Fun fact about solar eclipses: you always get a lunar eclipse about two weeks later. So thanks to that solar eclipse on the 12th, we’ll have an opportunity view a 96% partial lunar eclipse on the early morning of 28 August.  In Northwest Scotland, the eclipse begins at 2:23am and lasts a whopping 4 hours (when the moon sets), so another great reason to stay up late. And unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to observe with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope, so a perfect event for families.

Extracts from article by Mark Washer

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